BE KNOW DO exercise by Larry Jameson 2017-04-27 in the Public Domain Here is an activity for your local Strategic Leadership Team or Pastor Parish Relations Committee. It's called "BE, KNOW, DO" and it is based on the insights of BG Allen who wrote a book called Be, Know, Do: Leadership the Army Way. The Dover District Strategic Leadership Team offers this exercise to you through our web site www.DDSLT.org in order to help your leaders get one step closer to agreement on what values and expectations are most important in your local setting. This exercise can be used any time you like, and it is especially useful when you are in the IDENTIFICATION PHASE of your annual strategic planning process. Imagine you are about to design a new members class for your church. What sort of things do you want to teach newcomers about who you are as a Church, what they need to know to be effective members, and what sort of things will they be expected to do after they join. A couple of suggestions before you start. Keep it short and simple. The examples given here are actually too long! The purpose of this activity is to help you think about what is important to your congregation and the values you hold most dear. Use the fewest words you can to state your values clearly.

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STEP ONE (10 minutes) Review the three big concepts of BE, KNOW, and DO by having one person read the following out loud while everyone else listens. BE (is our group identity, and committment to God.) EXAMPLES We expect every member have a personal assurance of being a Christian - saved, born again. We require every person who becomes a member to be baptized (or already have a valid baptism). We expect every new member to profess her or his faith using the ceremony found in the hymnal before taking membership vows.

KNOW (is our knowledge and skill) EXAMPLES We give all new members a printed history of our church, and require them to watch a video about United Methodist history. We require new members attend two class sessions on United Methodist theology using the Book of Discipline. We give each new member a copy of the church officiary and require them to attend one class that explains how we organize and make decisions as a congregation. Page 2 of 4

DO (are the Spiritual Disciplines we expect every member to practice) EXAMPLES Bible (personal study, Christian education) Prayers (personal & group worship) Presence (maintaining relationships with God & Church family) Gifts (Stewardship education and Spiritual Gifts discovery) Service (anything we do to build up the Body of Christ) Witness (anything we do to share the Gospel, Christian missions, or standing up for justice in the secular world) Small Groups (home base for support, & accountability) STEP TWO (15 minutes) Break into three smaller groups: BE, KNOW, and DO. Using the following summary definitions ask each of the three groups to identify THE TOP THREE MOST IMPORTANT things your church holds dear in your area (Be, Know, or Do). Feel free to steal from the example list or go out on your own. BE (is our group identity, and committment to God.) 1) 2) 3) KNOW (is our knowledge and skill) 1) 2) 3) DO (are the Spiritual Disciplines we expect every member to practice) 1) 2) 3) Page 3 of 4

STEP THREE (15 minutes) Let each small group report in to the larger group about what they decided on. Encourage discussion about the reports. STEP FOUR (5 minutes to make copies) Share copies of your documents with the Pastor, Church Council, and Vision Team. What you write down will be helpful especially when you do the work of the IDENTIFICATION PHASE of your annual Strategic Planning process.

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